In the Heat of the City
by xUNDENiABLE
Summary: Blair and Nate through the ages. How did they meet? Do they stay together until they die? Watch it unfold. Read and Review please!
1. First Meeting

**BLAIR AND NATE FAN FIC. READ AND REVIEW!**

_12 months old. _

It was a warm summer afternoon in New York City. Myrtle, the Waldorf's maid, was pushing delicate little Blair Cornelia Waldorf in her stroller, when she sat down on the edge of the marble fountain to take a sip of water. Little Blair was sleeping, with her big doe eyes shut and her soft brown hair covering most of her head. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise nearby, and the sound woke Blair up. She began to whimper, her calm and peaceful face turning into a scrunched up prune. Myrtle picked her up and tried to get her to stop crying while looking at what had caused the noise. Thirty feet away was another nanny, picking up the milk bottle which her child had dropped. The nanny had shiny black hair and almond-shaped eyes, so Myrtle assumed she was Asian. In the stroller was a little boy, with golden hair and piercing blue eyes. The nanny put the dirty bottle back in her bag, picking up a teddy bear for the little boy to play with. He giggled and put it in the cup holder of his stroller. The nanny took a seat next to Myrtle and pulled out her own water bottle.

"So, are you new?" Myrtle asked the other nanny. She knew that the boy was Howie and Anne Archibald's child, but the nanny looked unfamiliar.

"Yes, I am. My name is Lian. The other nanny was, how you say, bye bye." Lian made a shooing gesture and Myrtle nodded slightly. She was disappointed. She and the Archibald's old nanny were actually quite good friends.

"Well, this is Blair, the Waldorf's daughter." Myrtle showed Lian. Blair was now silent thanks to the pacifier. Lian gasped and exclaimed how cute Blair was with her broken English.

"Well, Mr. Archibald. Don't you look happy today." Myrtle said to Nate in his stroller. He was constantly grinning at his teddy bear.

"You know him?" Lian said, jerking her thumb in the direction of Nate.

Myrtle nodded. "The Archibalds and the Waldorfs are good friends, but I don't think the children have met yet."

Myrtle brought Blair next to Nate's stroller. "Blair, say hi to Nate." Myrtle made a waving gesture with Blair's hand and Nate smiled at her, showing his newly grown two front teeth.

Blair started wailing.

And that was the first time Nate Archibald made Blair Waldorf cry. But not the last.

don't forget to review! 2nd chapter will be up soon.


	2. First Scraped Knee

_5 years old._

It was the first day of kindergarten, and Nate's nanny was polishing his new black shoes, getting him ready for his first day at St. Jude's.

"Can I still nap after lunch?" Nate asked Lian.

"Of course you can." Lian replied. Her English had gotten a lot better since 4 years ago when she started working for the Archibalds. She found it a bit sad that Nate's parents didn't even bother seeing him off on his first day of school, but oh well. At least he had her. They got into the waiting town car and went to school.

Meanwhile, Blair Waldorf was waiting impatiently for Myrtle to finish brushing her hair. Myrtle put in a red headband with a bow on the side, and brushed Blair's hair one last time. "You look great." She said to the little girl, who was turning more and more into a perfectionist by the minute.

When they arrived at school, Blair looked around for her best friend Serena. They had been best friends ever since preschool, where they played with their dolls while the other girls admired them. Serena, already boy crazy at the tender age of five, was looking at the stairs over at St. Jude's, which was Constance Billiard's sister school. There sitting on the front steps were Nate Archibald, and his best friend Chuck Bass. Chuck had dark brown hair, which always seemed to be in a messy pile on top of his head. Chuck had a permanent smirk on his face, and he showed it to everyone who looked his way.

"Come on, Blair. Let's go talk to the boys. We've had play dates with them before. It's okay." Serena said, tugging on Blair's uniform.

Blair shook her head. "I'm shy."

Serena laughed. "Come on, Blair. Don't be such a chicken." She nudged Blair in the arm.

Blair furiously shook her head. "I don't want to go. Nate sort of scares me." Blair looked down at her skirt and smoothed it down before looking up at Serena again. "You go ahead. I'll just wait here." Blair watched Serena skip over to the two boys. She was fearless, putting her arms around them as if they were best buddies. Blair continued staring at them, fascinated. How could Serena do that? Suddenly, Nate looked up and smiled at Blair. All his baby tooth had grown out now; in neat rows that made his smile seem even better. Blair quickly looked down and then she walked into the building.

_Recess_

Blair and Serena walked out of the school building. School had started off pretty well, with both of them being in the same class together with a teacher that didn't look half bad. Her name was Ms Buckens, and she was actually pretty nice to the class. Serena ran to the playground, and Blair followed after. She liked the playground like this, filled with her other classmates who were gracefully climbing the monkey bars. That was until the St Jude's bell rang, and the boys came pouring out. They were messy, because they ran out to play before they even had a chance to wipe their mouths after snack. Their ties flapped in the wind as they tried to outrun each other on the way to the slides, and half the time they ended up colliding into one another.

"Blair! I saved you a swing!" Serena called from the swing set. Blair reluctantly walked over and sat down. Serena started pushing her. Before she knew it, she was up in the sky.

"SERENA! Slow me down! I'm scared!" Blair shouted from the top.

Serena, who had the attention span of a goldfish, had wandered off to talk to Chuck at the slides. They were taking turns pushing each other down the slides. At least that's what it looked like to Blair while the swing swung back and forth quickly.

"HELP! SOMEONE HELP ME OFF!" Blair wailed. She was scared, and the tears were falling down her face fast. She felt her palms start to sweat and she knew that within seconds she would fly off the swing and land in the sand box. She squeezed her eyes shut. She felt the swing stop to a halt and was so shocked that she fell off anyway. Thank god she didn't fly ten meters before she landed. However, her knee was still scraped and it was starting to bleed. Blair started crying again.

"Hey, are you okay? I thought I saved you." Nate said, coming to sit down on the gravel next to Blair.

Blair looked up at Nate. So that was who saved her. She looked down, slightly embarrassed.

"Thanks." She said timidly.

"No problem." He smiled at her. "Oh, and I brought you a cookie from snack time." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cookie, with the chocolate chips all melted and a quarter of it chipped off.

Blair smiled for the first time that day. "Thanks." She accepted the cookie gratefully, and although it was dirty and probably half eaten, she took a bite out of it anyway. "Thanks, Nate."

and review, people! you guys added my story on your story alert page but you should review so i know what you guys think!


	3. First Dance

_11 years old. _

Blair and Nate had become close friends, and together with Serena and Chuck the four of them became the inner circle of the Upper East Side for their age group. It was PE class, and Blair hated PE. PE meant that you had to get down and dirty, and Blair had to tie up her hair. She hated the fact that people couldn't see her espresso colored curls clearly. To make matters worse, it was sixth grade PE. Which meant that they had to start ballroom dancing with the boys.

"Okay, girls. The boys are going to be meeting us in the dance studio upstairs, so let's get going before we're late." Ms. Schulman ordered. Blair hated Ms. Schulman; her hair was the color of dirty dish water and she was so fat that it seemed totally ridiculous that she was a PE teacher. Half the time, she couldn't even demonstrate the skills properly for the class.

The girls made it upstairs to the dance studio, and Blair sighed. Ballroom dancing was for losers. Before she even had time to finish her negative thoughts about it, the boys came rushing into the class, not looking anymore excited than she was. They all had their hands in their blazer pockets and were looking down at their shiny dancing shoes which didn't look right on their feet.

"Okay, boys. Pair up with the nearest girl, and then line up against the wall."

Blair stood still and waited for someone to come to her, scared to death that no one would pick her. Everyone around her seemed to be pairing up, and Blair dug her nails into her palms to keep herself from crying. Suddenly, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Partner with me?" He said. She smiled. At least someone wanted to be with her. He gave her his hand and she took it.

"Sure." She said, leading him to the wall. Chuck Bass wasn't her first choice, but she'll settle for what she can get.

"So, let's have one of our couples demonstrate." Ms. Schulman looked around the class. "Serena? Why don't you bring your partner and we'll demonstrate some moves to the class."

Blair watched as Serena nodded at Ms. Schulman. She grabbed her partner's hand, which of course was none other than Nate Archibald himself, and they went to the center of the class. Ms. Schulman taught them the moves, and of course they demonstrated it perfectly for the class. Blair looked at them enviously. Serena knew she had a little crush on Nate, so why did she have to pick him? Or did he pick her?

Chuck tapped her on the shoulder and Blair noticed that the other couples were also gathering on the dance floor. Blair followed Chuck and put her hand on his shoulder and he put his hand on her waist. They linked hands and started to move to the music awkwardly.

"Blair, you're supposed to turn now." Chuck said, slightly annoyed.

Blair mumbled an apology and spun in the opposite direction as everyone else, but she failed to notice that since she kept her eyes on Serena and Nate at all times. They were perfecting their dance moves, moving gracefully to the music and laughing. Blair stopped moving since she forgot what the next dance move was. She had been so mesmerized by the fact that Serena and Nate _fit_ so well together that she hadn't paid attention to any of the dance moves they were doing earlier. Chuck was irritated because he needed a good mark in PE. It was one of the only classes he wasn't failing. He forced Blair to move with him to the rhythm, but she was pretty reluctant. She tripped over his shoes and stepped on him.

"Ow!" Chuck snarled. Her heel had pressed right on top of his pinky toe and he felt a sharp pain.

"Sorry." Blair said for what felt like the millionth time that day. She forced herself to focus on Chuck, finally managing to follow the moves correctly. The song ended and the girls curtsied while the guys bowed. Chuck and Blair banged heads.

"Ow. God why did you get so close?" Blair shouted at Chuck. Chuck smirked and the rest of the class snickered. Blair blushed angrily and looked away from Chuck.

"All right…Let's do it again." Ms Schulman said, trying to get rid of the awkward situation Blair was in. "Mr Bass, why don't you come here with me." Ms Schulman signaled for Chuck to follow her.

"What did I do?" He swore under his breath before pretending to give Ms Schulman a wedgie. The class laughed.

"What's so funny? If you guys don't take this seriously, we can do it again after school, in front of the principal. He loves ballroom dancing." Ms Schulman snapped. The class immediately quiet down.

Ms Schulman cued the music and the couples went back into the starting position. Blair stood there by herself, wondering why she was always abandoned.

"Come on, let's dance." Nate said, taking Blair's hand and swaying her in time to the music. Why was he so damn good at this? 

"What about Serena?" She asked Nate. It was the second time he had saved her. "Don't you want to dance with her?"

Nate twirled Blair around gently. "Nah, she's a bit too tall for me."

Blair glanced over at her best friend, who was now dancing with Chuck. Chuck was even shorter than Nate, making it look incredibly awkward. But of course, Serena managed to turn the situation around, making ballroom dancing look fun. She _was_ Serena van der Woodsen after all.

"You know, you're not half bad. Why did Chuck say you were bad?" Nate said, smiling at Blair. That smile made her insides all knotty.

Blair smiled back. "I don't know." Nate dipped her, and Blair's breath got caught in her throat. Since when did sixth grade guys know how to do this?

They finished their dance, and Blair couldn't keep her stupid smile off her face. Unfortunately, Ms Schulman made them change partners again, and she didn't get to dance with Nate again throughout the whole rotation. Time flew by, and before Blair knew it, dance class was over.

"Great job, everybody. We'll meet in here again on Wednesday." Ms Schulman clapped her hands together and sighed. Thank god that was over.

Blair watched the boys exit through the door that was closer to St Jude's, hoping Nate would turn back and smile at her. But he didn't. In fact, she couldn't even see him in the crowd, with everyone wearing matching uniforms. She followed her class outside the door, and was surprised to find Nate waiting for her at the exit.

"Hey, Blair." He said.

She was speechless. Was he waiting for her? "Hey." She said back. Her voice was wobbly.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked up at her. His blue eyes were piercing, and she felt everything else around her blur.

"So I was wondering…will you go out with me this Friday?" He asked.

She pinched herself on the arm. Was she dreaming? Nope. He was still here.

"Blair?" He asked. She looked up.

"Yes." She replied, satisfied with the fact that reality had played out just like the movie in her head.

But not for long.

I was going to include the date in this chapter but it would make it too long..so review you guys and I'll put up the next part!


	4. First Date

**thanks everyone for the feedback. i really appreciate it. don't forget to review for this chapter ! **

_Still 11 years old, _that_ Friday_

Nate Archibald for nervous for the first time in his life. It was normal to be nervous for a first date, but Nate Archibald was never nervous. Until now.

He had personally gone to the flower shop with Lian, picking out a flower that he thought Blair would like. Roses seemed too predictable, and carnations seemed too typical. He picked out an orchid and tried to ignore the sheepish grin Lian had on her face.

"Come on, Nate. I've been your nanny ever since you were one. I was there that very fateful day you met Blair. How could you expect me not to be happy for you?" Lian nudged Nate.

Nate groaned. This was embarrassing. He had told Lian about his date with Blair because he honestly didn't know how to prepare for it. And Blair seemed like a demanding girl, and he wanted this date to be something she would have liked.

He wasn't sure where to take them, because going to a fancy restaurant would seem strange. Two kids sitting there surrounded by a crowd of suspicious adults who would constantly be wondering when they would wreck the place. Nate had picked out a baby blue polo that matched his eyes, and a pair of new jeans that had no grass stains. When he arrived at Blair's door, he realized he might have been a bit underdressed. She was wearing a mint green dress with delicate lace, probably one of her mother's designs or from one of the famous designers whose names Nate could never remember.

"Hi." She said, breathing in the reality of the date.

"Hey." Nate said, bravely leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek. It felt like a big step for both of them. Sure, they had kissed each other's cheeks before, due to the fact that they were brought up with good manners, but this time it felt different. No one was watching them, and he did it because he wanted to, and not because his parents had asked him too.

Blair started to blush. She felt happy. Why was it that this boy could control her emotions and she couldn't control them herself?

Nate handed Blair the orchid, and she hastily grabbed the vase from the dining table. Dumping out the flowers that had probably cost $50 just for the arrangement, she stuck in the orchid and set the vase back on the table gently.

"There." She said softly. She looked back at Nate, who was smiling at her. "Oh and by the way, should I change? I feel a bit overdressed." She started up the stairs to her bedroom, but Nate grabbed her wrist.

"No, you're perfect just the way you are." He said.

She felt her skin burn underneath her touch. Sure, it was a cheesy phrase. And Blair hated cheesiness. But coming out of Nate's mouth, it seemed like the perfect words at that moment.

"Okay then. Where are we going?" She wondered curiously. She had been daydreaming about this night ever since the moment he asked her out. She envisioned them having dinner by the Hudson River, them having sushi quietly at his place, them sitting in a gondola while someone sang for them – yes, she had definitely gone overboard.

"You'll see." He winked and grabbed her hand.

Blair tried her hardest not to squeal. She was holding Nate Archibald's hand!

They sat quietly in Nate's town car, Nate nervously going over the date in his head, and Blair trying not to pee her pants from the excitement of all of it. The car eventually stopped, and Nate got out first before lending a hand to Blair.

Seriously, where did Nate get skills like that? Was there a course called How to Treat a Lady like a Lady 101? _Sorry boys, it looks like Nate was just born a gentleman._

The driver handed Nate a basket, and they walked into Central Park.

Blair was slightly shocked. What was so special about Central Park?

He led them to a picnic bench, setting down the basket and opening it to reveal a tablecloth.

Blair's hand automatically fluttered to her heart. They were having a picnic. How romantic.

"By the way Blair, in case you don't remember, I chose Central Park because you know, we met for the first time here." He grinned sheepishly before laying out the tablecloth and took out the food Lian had prepared for him.

"I'm not really sure what you like, so I sort of brought a variety of everything." He took out some sandwiches, some toast with caviar, and some grapes.

Blair smiled. He had brought a variety of everything, but most of it was a combination of her favorite foods. "Don't worry, I eat everything."

She does?! Since when?

They ate quietly, both of them suddenly forgetting about the things they usually talked about. Being there with each other suddenly seemed like a huge deal.

After polishing off all the food as well as Blair's favorite dessert which was crème brûlée, they headed back to the waiting town car.

"So I was thinking, do you want to watch a movie?" Nate asked.

"Sure." Blair replied, hoping into the car. Everything felt more familiar now. Nate, who seemed like a stranger to her all over again, was starting to feel familiar again. They went to the nearest cinema and Blair picked a romantic tragedy to watch.

They sat near the back of the theatre, and Nate could barely concentrate on the movie. He was watching Blair, how she was totally oblivious to everything around her, her eyes reserved only for the movie. How she would imitate the main character's expressions perfectly, as if she was in the movie too. Nate had a sudden urge to just kiss her. But he knew he couldn't, because Blair Waldorf didn't operate like that. Nate was starting to feel bad when Blair started crying, because the leading male character died or something. He just wanted to lean over and kiss those tears away. But he couldn't, so he settled for the more subtle option. He wiped her tears away softly, and she finally turned to look at him.

"You okay?" He whispered softly.

"Yeah." She whispered back. She blinked a few times to get the tears out of her eyes so she could see Nate clearly. She knew this was when their first kiss would happen.

Nate leaned in, inching slowly as he got closer to Blair. His eyelids were closing, and instead of feeling all giddy and excited, she panicked. She turned her head slightly and his lips landed on her cheek.

He kept them there for a few seconds, surprised that she had done that. Did she not like him anymore?

"Sorry I'm just not –" Blair started, trying to read the expression on Nate's face. But she couldn't place anything.

"It's fine. I understand." He grabbed a fistful of popcorn and popped it in his mouth. Yes, he was disappointed. But he understood. Blair Waldorf wanted to wait. So that was what they were going to do.

The movie continued playing, but Nate was too bummed out to care. He knew that tomorrow Chuck would grill him for the details of their date, and what did he have to tell Chuck? Nothing. Except that Blair Waldorf didn't want to kiss him.

Eventually the movie finished, and they left the theatre. Nate was scared to take Blair's hand, because it seemed as though she didn't want him anymore.

They rode the elevator up to Blair's penthouse in silence, and the humming elevator was the only thing that kept the ride from being completely awkward and silent. They arrived on Blair's floor, and Nate looked around. The next time he came here would be completely different, because from this moment on, this will always remind him of the time he got rejected by Blair Waldorf.

But remembering his manners, he mumbled a good night and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. He sighed. He thought he was making her happy, but after all this preparation he had gone through for their date, they would only remain friends. That's why he was taken by surprise when she abruptly leaned in and kissed him. Full on the lips.


	5. First Fight

_12 years old. _

It had been one year since that fateful day Nate asked Blair out.. It had also been eleven years since Blair and Nate met Serena van der Woodsen.

Blair was young, but she knew that no guy could resist Serena van der Woodsen. She had grown up a lot over the summer, and her long, shaggy blonde hair let guys wonder what she had done over that summer, because it left a mystery in the air every time she walked by.

Nate was no different than those guys. Sure, he had been pretty much the perfect boyfriend over the last year. But whenever they attended dinner parties, Blair noticed that every now and then Nate would glance over at Serena, who would of course be the life of the party.

Blair had planned something special for tonight; it was exactly one year after Nate had asked her out. Secretly in her head she had been counting, and that secret calendar had marked today as their official one year anniversary. Blair was planning on doing something special with Nate, either going out for dinner or staying in and watching a movie. But whatever it was, it was going to be special, and it was going to make sure that Nate never glanced, or even thought of Serena van der Woodsen again.

Blair was pretty sure that Nate didn't know that today was a very special day, but she was sure that he had no plans and that he knew they would be together today. Blair was getting ready in her bedroom when her cell phone rang. She grinned wildly when she saw a picture of Nate on her screen, counting to three before answering the phone.

"Hello?" She answered, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice.

"Blair?" Nate said worriedly.

Blair frowned at the mirror in front of her. What was going on? "Nate? Is everything all right?" She asked.

Nate's voice seemed uneasy over the phone. "Um, yeah. Except I can't come over to your house tonight. Serena's dog just died, and she called me, sobbing and everything. She asked me whether or not I could go to her place for a while, and I figured, why not, since our date wasn't official anyway."

_Ouch. Strike One for Nate Archibald. _

Blair's disappointment almost immediately turned into anger. Serena's _dog_ just died? She had been to Serena's house yesterday, and the dog seemed pretty active and _alive_ to her. And wasn't she Serena's _best _friend? So why the hell did she invite _Nate_ over? This was all just too convenient.

"Natie, do you think you can tell Serena that you're not feeling well? I mean, we do have a date tonight." She said, looking down at her dresser, as if looking at herself in the mirror would give all hope away.

Nate cleared his throat. "Well, I kind of already promised her, and what's the big deal, anyway? We'll just have a rain check tomorrow. Is that okay?"

_Hmm. Strike two._

"Yeah, I guess it's okay." She replied, her voice filled with defeat. She looked at the picture of her and Serena that was taped to the corner of the mirror. Why did the blonde always win? "Actually, Nate. It's not okay. Why do you care so much about Serena anyway? I mean, is she like, particularly special to you or something?"

"Well, I mean, Serena's been my friend for a long, long time now…and I would really hate to have to see her sit alone in her big apartment crying." Nate said, totally oblivious to the heavy hinting that Blair had been doing.

_Strike Three. And Nate's out!_

Blair swallowed loudly. It was clear in a subtle way; Nate had chosen Serena over her. But she wasn't just going to sit around here and mop for him. If he was choosing Serena over her, she was going to make sure he was going to pay for it. "Well, then. Why don't you go to her house and make sure she feels better? Don't forget to bring her some strawberry bubble bath. She loves that stuff. Also, bring her some gingerbread cookies while you're at it. Oh, and Nate? If you're going to Serena's house, don't even think about coming back to mine. Ever. Again." Blair snapped her cell phone shut, wondering whether or not that was too dramatic and unnecessary. But she shook that thought free from her mind, telling herself that Nate deserved to suffer a little bit if he had chosen her best friend over her.

Blair stared at her cell phone, wondering if it would vibrate any time soon and whether it would be Nate, calling back to apologize for even _thinking_ about choosing Serena over her. Yet the phone didn't ring, Nate didn't call, and she wasn't the chosen one. She sighed, surprised that the tears weren't falling. She gathered the candles and cushions she had set out for them to sit on while they were having their meal, and went to the kitchen to tell the staff to stop cooking the gourmet meal that contained all of Nate's favorite foods. She returned to her room, and turned on the TV, hoping that some of the characters were having better luck in love than she was.

As she sat there seeing the people move across the screen but not really watching, she thought about how completely alone she felt. How her parents were always out because it seemed like they didn't want to be home with her, how Serena always had fabulous plans that seemed better than hanging out with Blair, and how Nate just never made the right decisions and chose the ones that completely abandoned her.

Blair sat in there her room, watching continuous hours of nonsense television. Just as she was about to turn off the TV and go to bed, she heard her maid call for her.

"Miss Blair! There's someone at the door!" The new maid cried out. Her mom had fired Myrtle, for reasons Blair did not know why. Blair never knew anything about the decisions that went on at home. Blair sighed and jumped out of bed. She was still wearing the ivory chiffon dress she had planned to wear for her date, but now it was all wrinkled and crushed, just like her heart.

She went downstairs and the maid informed her that it was Nate.

"Tell him I don't want to see him." She said. But the maid grinned sheepishly and Nate appeared behind the wall.

"What are you doing here, Nate? I thought you were helping Serena cope with the death of her dog?" She said, her voice oozing fake sincerity. She was trying to hide the heartbreak that was threatening to spill over.

Nate had a pained expression on his face. "Look, I know you're mad at me."

Blair started up the stairs. "No. I'm not mad. I just never want to see you again."

Nate sighed. "Just listen to me, okay? I know I was wrong to have chosen Serena over you. But I just felt really bad, considering she was really close to her dog. But when I got to her house and realized that I had been comforting the wrong girl, I came back."

Blair frowned. "Fine. You came back. But that still doesn't change the fact that you chose me over her in the first place. And tonight was a special night for me. For us. It's too bad you didn't remember." She continued up the stairs.

Nate grabbed her wrist. "But I do remember. It's just that…I started counting the night we went out on our first date…and I guess you started counting from the day I asked you out, so I was a few days behind." Nate blushed embarrassingly. "But I bought your present. So please, forgive my one lack of judgment mistake and take my gift as an apology." He smiled. She could never resist it, which made it that much harder to fight with him. He took a box out of his pocket and opened it. Inside was a simple silver bracelet with a tiny heart dangling on it. Almost automatically, Blair stuck out her hand for Nate to clasp on the bracelet.

And that was the first time Blair forgave Nate and took him back when he probably didn't deserve it. But not the last.

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so i'm not really sure what i think of this chapter..but i realize i'm not very good at getting inside such young minds..so i might do one or two more chapters and then skip over to the age they are on the tv show.

read & review!


	6. First Words

**Sorry to everyone for the late update..  
School's busy super busy so yeah. Read and Review! **_

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15 years old. 

Blair and Nate had become inseparable. They became Blair-and-Nate, and every time they went somewhere without their significant others, they would be asked where the other one was.

Blair loved it. She loved that people acknowledged her and Nate as one, because that's all she ever wanted to be. To be united with Nate as one, forever and ever. Nate on the other hand, didn't like it so much. Sometimes when he saw other girls and wanted to just flirt with them a little (although he knew it was wrong) they would walk away because they knew he belonged to the infamous Blair Waldorf, who was incredibly possessive.

But deep down, Nate knew that he loved her. He had loved her from the moment they met in Central Park, but he hadn't known that back then. Every time something happened between them just reminded him that he loved her. She didn't know though, because he had been too chicken to admit it to her. Admitting it to her would be handing the key to his handcuffs over, chaining himself to her forever.

But he knew he had to tell her soon, because there were many times where they would finish kissing, and she would lay her head on his chest, and she would tell him how much she loved him. He would either pretend he didn't hear it or he would change the subject, because to him, it was better to deny it altogether than to tell her that he loved her when he wasn't sure. But every time her words lingered in the air and didn't get returned, he could feel her back stiffen and her grasp around him tighten. She needed him, and she loved him, and if he didn't tell her he loved her soon, he would break her heart into tiny pieces and lose her.

So one night, when they had finished going out for dinner, and they returned to Blair's room, Nate knew that he was ready to tell her. They sat together on the bed, and Blair looked tense, as if she knew she was going to declare her love again and get nothing in return. She looked sad, as if she thought she was losing him. But he would show her, once and for all, that he loved her.

She leaned in to kiss her, but he pushed her away gently. He wasn't going to leave her in the dark anymore. She frowned, thinking that she did something wrong.

"Blair." Nate started. He cleared his throat. He was nervous, because he was literally throwing his heart out for someone like Blair Waldorf to catch.

She twisted the ring on the finger, leaving angry red marks. "Yeah?" She replied quietly. Her voice was shaking. He was breaking up with her.

"I love you." He blurted out, because he couldn't hold it in anymore. He loved her, just as much as she loved him. Maybe even more, if that was possible.

She looked up at him, surprised. She tried to read his emotions, trying to see if he was lying. But he looked like he genuinely did love her, so she smiled.

"I love you too." She whispered.

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**I know this chapter was short and extremely fluffy, but don't worry, I have a double chapter post coming up soon!  
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW FOR THIS ONE THOUGH! **


	7. First Time, the Aftermath Pt 1

So thanks to everyone who reviewed although the last chapter was short. This is the next chapter, part 1 of 2. It shows Blair and Nate's first time having sex, but not necesarily with each other..

It sort of follows the books and the tv series but some of it was made up by me.

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16 years old, June. 

The summer Blair went away was the summer that screwed up their relationship. It was the summer he slept with Serena van der Woodsen, the summer he realized that his and Blair's relationship would never be the same.

Nate hadn't _meant_ for it to happen, just like he didn't mean for half of the things that happened in his life. Serena and Nate had been at Kati's mother's third wedding, and it was boring as hell. They managed to sit through the ceremony – but not without secretly texting each other underneath the church pews. However, once the reception started, they grabbed a bottle of champagne and sneaked away to the hotel's vacant eatery. The entire hotel had been reserved for Kati's mother's wedding, and everyone was in the grand ballroom. Except for Nate and Serena, that is.

"I can't believe Blair's not here, we could have had a ton of fun." Serena said to Nate. They were sitting on the edge of the bar, their shoes touching.

Nate snapped back to reality when Serena mentioned Blair's name. He had been staring at her legs, the way they always seemed to be tan even when it wasn't summer. Except it was. The summer that changed everything.

Nate felt an emotion shoot through him, like a sense of dread when he heard Blair's name. As much he wanted to be with her, there was always Serena. She was like an obstacle. Every time Blair and Nate got further, something would happen with Serena that would make Nate fall back into the previous stage. Serena pulled off her heels, and they landed on the floor with a thud. Nate looked down at her stilettos, which were strappy and gold and matched Serena's orange dress perfectly. That dress suited her perfectly, the orange color reflecting her happy and carefree personality, and the length and cut elongated her legs.

Serena kicked her legs against the bar table, letting her hair out of its elaborate bun. She shook her blonde hair down her back and laughed. "You know, you and Blair Waldorf. I never in a million years could imagine you guys together."

The comment stung. Did Serena think that Nate was not good enough for Blair? "And why is that?" He asked.

Serena shrugged. "You guys are totally cute together, and I am so happy for you, but it's just…" She trailed off.

Nate looked at her seriously. "It's just what?"

Serena took a deep breath. "Blair is so perfect, so planned, and you're so laid back, like you're waiting for life to approach you instead of the other way around. You would be so much better with someone like.." She let herself trail off again. It was scary to finish that thought.

"Like you." Nate finished automatically. Serena lifted her head to face Nate, silently saying yes with her eyes. He leaned in a little bit, as did she. Their lips met somewhere in the middle, and the rest is history in the making.

_Still 16 years old, 2 months later. _

Nate and Serena hadn't spoken much after that eventful day. He had tried to approach her many times, but she would avoid him. However, that evening they were going to a party, and Nate would talk to her, no matter what it takes. Lucky for Nate, Blair still hadn't returned from her European trip with her father, so it made stalking Serena a lot easier.

Nate ducked into Isabel's house, which was the party location for that evening. He was shocked for a moment when he realized the room was dark; everything inside had been decorated with glow in the dark material, so the room was pitch black. Nate couldn't make out any figures because the only light was the glow in the dark drinks that people were holding. Nate could get a mere glimpse of people's faces through the soft glow that the drink created. He caught a sudden flash of blonde hair, and grabbed the girl's arm.

"Serena!" He called. The girl shook her head and walked away. Apparently Nate had mistaken her as Serena. But Nate heard the door behind him open, and the tall, lanky figure that walked in was definitely Serena.

"Serena, come on. You have to stop avoiding me. We need to talk." Nate said, grabbing her hand and lacing his fingers through hers. She looked up at him, almost as if she was disgusted. She pulled her hand away and sighed.

"Fine. We can talk. But this is the last time." She said. Nate grinned, not hearing the last part she said. She led the way to one of the empty bedrooms, trying to ignore the camera phones that were taking pictures of them and would probably end up on Gossip Girl's page within seconds. Besides, it was too dark, and it was possible that their figures wouldn't be made out. Let's just hope that Blair doesn't read Gossip Girl in Europe.

Serena opened the door to a room, and Nate followed her in. She shut the door behind her, and sat down on the bed cross legged. She was wearing a pair of grey satin shorts, and her legs reminded her of that night they had sex. Actually, almost everything reminded Nate of that night. He couldn't stop thinking about it.

"Serena." Nate started, careful not to do anything that would anger her, like taking her hand again. "I want to talk about that night." He insisted.

She looked away. "What about it? It happened once, it won't happen again." She played with a loose thread on her sleeveless white tunic.

Nate nodded. "I know it won't. But that night, it meant something." He tried not to kiss her.

She shook her head furiously. "It meant nothing. I was drunk." She lied. In reality, the bottle of champagne they stole hadn't even been touched ever since they went into the bar. "Besides, it doesn't matter. I'm leaving."

Nate was shocked. He could feel images of Serena swirling through his head. "You're w-what? Leaving? But you can't. I won't let you!" He grabbed her hand instinctively.

Serena tried to blink back tears. "Look, I know that it's sudden. But you have Blair. I mean, you love her. I have to go. Boarding school isn't going to be that bad."

Nate let go of Serena's hand, almost as if he was actually letting her go. "Right. Blair." He had almost forgotten about her, with her away all summer. At that moment, it felt like he didn't need her anymore. But he knew that it wasn't true. Especially if Serena was going to go away, he needed Blair by his side. He knew it was selfish, but Blair would never have to know.

Serena, as if reading his mind, said, "Oh yeah, and Blair cannot know that this happened. No one can know that this happened." She stood up to go. "I'm going to go now." She whispered. She leaned over and gave Nate a kiss on the cheek. Then she walked towards the door.

"Serena?" Nate asked. Serena stopped dead in her tracks. "Tell me it meant something."

She stood there, facing away from him for what felt like forever. Then she turned back quickly and gave him a subtle nod, but before he could say anything, she was out the door, and out of his life.

_17 years old, September_

Blair led Nate into her room. It was dark, with candles all over. He gently pushed her onto the bed, and got on top of her. He kissed her gently, but the kisses got more urgent and passionate as time passed by. Blair was starting to remove her clothes, and Nate's palms were sweating like crazy.

"You know, I always wanted our first time to be special. But I don't mind it like this, because it wasn't planned, it was spontaneous, and I think it's cool that our first time is going to be like this. The only thing that matters is that our first time is with each other." She smiled at him before placing little feather kisses on his neck.

"Blair." He said, signaling for her to stop. She felt a moment of insecurity, and wrapped her blanket around herself. "I have something to tell you. I can't go on and do it with you without telling you first."

Blair felt her chest tighten, as if she was going to cry.

"Last summer, when you went away, Serena and I kind of…became really close. Then that night on Kati's mom's wedding, we just….sort of did it. I didn't mean for it to happen, and it doesn't mean anything to me anymore. Serena's not even here anymore." Nate stroked Blair's back gently, hoping she wasn't going to get furious.

Of course, he wasn't that lucky.

"YOU SLEPT WITH SERENA? OH MY GOD! I WANTED MY FIRST TIME TO BE PERFECT! AND YOU SLEPT WITH SERENA? I CAN'T EVEN LOOK AT YOU NATE. JUST LEAVE!" She shouted, not caring that her maid could probably hear her. She covered her face in her hands, not caring that the tears were falling and staining her new silk lingerie.

Nate looked at her sadly before walking out of the door.

_17 years old, October_

Nate walked into Blair's penthouse. They weren't officially broken up, but they weren't exactly together either. She wouldn't talk to him after that explosive argument that happened in her room last month, but he missed her. He missed her a lot.

He knocked on her bedroom door, but when no one replied and he noticed that the door was slightly ajar, he pushed it open. He was pretty sure he knew where Blair was.

He could hear the toilet flush, and he knocked on her bathroom door. "Blair, it's Nate. Open up."

He could hear the tap running, and a few minutes later, she opened the door. Her eyes were watery and her face was pale, and he knew what she had been doing. His face took on a pained expression. It made him sad that Blair was making herself sick.

"You know, you should really stop making yourself sick. I mean, I know that you always think you're too fat, but the truth is, you're not fat. You're perfect." He brushed a curl away from her face. Her lip was starting to tremble.

"If I was so perfect, why would you have to go sleep with Serena?" She asked, the tears falling silently down her cheeks.

He pulled her into a hug, kissing her hair. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I did it. I don't know why I keep making stupid mistakes that drive me away from you. But I do know that I love you, and that I'm sorry, and if I could go back and undo everything, I would." He hugged her tightly while she cried into his chest. Once she calmed down a little, he started to talk again. "I just want to know…even after this horrible mistake I made, do you still love me?"

Blair nodded automatically into his chest before she even had a chance to think. But deep down she knew, that no matter what he did, she wanted to be with him. She knew that she had her pride and dignity to consider, but that was usually thrown out the window when it came to Nate. She needed him more than she needed herself most days.

"I know that your first time was with Serena," She forced herself to say. "But I still want my first time to be with you." She whispered, giving him a kiss.

_Guess that's not going to happen, B._

* * *

I know that not many people like Nate and Serena, but it was fun to write about them for a change.

Stay tuned for part 2!

Next part features Blair and Chuck.


	8. First Time, the Aftermath Pt 2

**sorry that it's been almost two weeks. i went on vacation and i had no computer. hope you guys enjoy it! and don't forget to review. **

_17 years old._

Blair hated the way she pushed people away just because they weren't Nate Archibald. Sometimes she pushed Serena and Chuck away, just because they weren't Nate, and they couldn't make her happy the way Nate could. Except Nate couldn't really make her happy either.

But Blair Waldorf loved Nate Archibald. She loved him with all her heart, ever since that day he saved her a half eaten cookie in kindergarten. She was pretty sure she had loved him since the day they met at Central Park as babies. And although Nate kept screwing up their relationship, she would patch it up, and they would get back together, like the perfect couple that every teenager on the Upper East Side admired. She did it because she loved him.

But none of that Nate-loving stopped Blair from being pushed against the wall of the limo by none other than the notorious Chuck Bass, who at that moment, was leaving passionate little kisses on her neck, causing her to groan in response.

Chuck, who would seem like the last guy on Blair's to do list, was surprisingly always there for her. Whenever Nate broke up with her (temporarily, of course), Chuck would always be there to pick up the pieces. He didn't really mind, because although he had to live through her tears and her longing to be with Nate whenever she wasn't, it also meant that he got to sleep with one of the hottest girls in all of Manhattan.

But it was way more than that, and they both knew it. They knew it was a physical thing they had between them, but at the same time, both of them yearned for each other in a way that nobody else knew about. Every time Blair showed up at his door step, with tears down her cheeks and her face stained with mascara, he would pull her into his arms and give her a hug, and he would shake his head at how stupid she was for always letting his best friend hurt her.

It had started off pretty innocent, most of the time with Blair ranting on and on about how bad Nate was to her, and Chuck gently stroking her hair and telling her to leave him if that was what she wanted. Of course she never listened, and would instead run back to Nate whenever he asked her to take him back, but as time passed by, Nate hurt her more, and she wanted more than just comfort from Chuck.

One night, after Blair had walked away from Nate after he told her that he had kissed a girl at the bar, she ran to Chuck's apartment, and before she could ring the doorbell, he opened the door, in a robe and a scotch in hand.

She didn't even wait for him to come to her, instead jumping into his arms and burying her head in his chest. He was so shocked that he stumbled backwards a little, the scotch in his hand sloshing around.

"Chuck?" She asked quietly. He lifted her head off his chest and looked into her sad brown eyes.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"Do you think you could just…kiss me?" It was direct, but it was honest. And it was what Blair Waldorf wanted right then and there.

Chuck shrugged. He had slept with numerous girls, and he couldn't even count how many he had kissed. He leaned over and gave Blair a peck on the lips. But in those two seconds in which their lips had been attached, he felt something. So did she. It was like all the yearning that the two of them did had finally been released out into the open, and they were free to do whatever they wanted. Except they weren't free, exactly. She knew that tomorrow, this tender moment would be forgotten when Chuck returned to his womanizing ways and she returned to Nate. Because that was life and that was the way things were supposed to be. However, tomorrow wasn't now, and so they kissed again, releasing all these dangerous, explosive and passionate feelings that they didn't know they had for each other.

Soon the kissing led to touching, and soon that led to much, much, more. Blair Waldorf found her first time to be sweet, emotional and intimate, and although she thought only Nate Archibald could provide her with that, Chuck Bass managed to do so.

It became a constant affair, with Blair and Chuck sleeping together every time Nate hurt her. Chuck knew that it was pathetic that no one could know about it, and he couldn't sleep with anyone else, because in his heart, he knew he wanted to be with Blair Waldorf. But he couldn't, because her heart belonged to Nate Archibald, but the amount of times that he hurt her and she would come running to Chuck was enough to satisfy his needs. Both physically and emotionally.

* * *

_17 years old, a month later_

Chuck showed up at Blair's penthouse expectedly. She knew it was probably important and extremely urgent, for he would never come by her house without calling first, to avoid the chances of running into Nate.

The elevator dinged and he stepped out of it. Blair came down the stairs quickly, her red flats tapping lightly against the marble.

"What do you want, Bass?" She asked, clearly annoyed. She had talked to Nate on the phone that morning, and he had agreed to take her out for dinner, and maybe fix their reoccurring problem for once and for all. "I'm sort of busy right now, I have a dinner date with Nate and –" She paused, and for the first time that night, noticed the bruises on Chuck's face. Instinctively, she reached up to his face and stroked his face gently.

He winced, then pulled her hand away. Tears were starting to pool in her eyes, but she refused to let him think that she cared that much.

"I told him." He whispered, so softly that if the penthouse hadn't been absolutely silent she wouldn't have had been able to hear it. "About us."

She blinked back tears and nodded. "What happened?"

He chuckled. "Well, this." He said, pointing to his face. "Nate accused me of taking advantage of you, of how I destroyed your pure and innocent image. He said that I took Blair Waldorf away from him and that you'll never be the same girl again. He told me that I ruined you. But Blair, you have to tell him that I didn't ruin you, didn't destroy you. You have to tell him that I care, more than he ever will, that I love you, in a way that he doesn't know how." He reached over and brushed a curl away from her face.

She kept her gaze on the floor for a long time, and then she looked up and shook her head sadly. "I can't do that." She whispered.

He was taken back by that response. "What do you mean?"

Blair shifted her eyes from the floor to meet his concerned and confused stare. "I mean, it was just sex." She said softly.

Chuck's mouth dropped open a little bit. "I wish I could say it was just carefree, no feelings attached sex. But I can't. I love you, Waldorf." He sighed. "You of all people should know how hard this is for me. To drop the arrogant façade, and be totally honest and vulnerable with you. But I need to, because I need you to know that I'm so much better for you than Nate, that I'll love you always, unlike him. I love you." He swallowed hard. That was impossible to admit, to throw everything he had been hiding deep inside his heart and throwing it out there for Blair.

Blair thought back to all the moments they had shared, trying her hardest to convince herself that she didn't care. But as much as she did, everything she did with Nate also flowed back into her head. Nate was the one that made her insanely happy, making her grin constantly like an idiot. But Nate was also the one that hurt her so bad that she had to run to _Chuck,_ but she knew that the moments that Nate were good to her were the moments that mattered. "Let me go." She told Chuck. "You know that I will be happier with Nate." The words sounded cruel coming out of her mouth, but she knew they were true.

Chuck nodded silently and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It was great while it lasted, Waldorf." He had that smirk on his face again, and Blair knew that after a few drinks and a lot of girls he would be okay.

He walked out of her apartment, leaving her to deal with Nate all by herself, totally alone and totally scared.

* * *

She took a taxi to Nate's house, and rang the doorbell with shaky fingers. He opened almost instantaneously, the expressions on his face hardening when he saw that it was Blair.

"Nate." She started. "I'm sorry."

He nodded. "I am too."

They walked into his living room, talking for hours about the two events that happened in their lives that ruined their relationship. Nate sleeping with Serena, and Blair sleeping with Chuck.

"You know what this means, right?" Nate asked.

Blair shook her head.

"I think that we should…break up. If we have so many problems that we have to run to others for comfort and love, it probably isn't right. I love you, Blair. I do. It's just that I think it would be so much easier if we just…separated for a while."

Blair sat there, speechless. She had just dumped the guy that really loved her, only then to be dumped by the guy she really loved. She nodded, and then walked out of the room, feeling strange that a sense of relief washed over her.


	9. First Goodbye

**Sorry if it's kind of short. I have a bit of writer's block with this story, but it's coming along. REVIEW, PLEASE!  
and I might start a new story soon, but I won't abandon this one. But look out for it! **

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18 years old. 

They had graduated from St. Jude's and Constance, leaving behind their youth, their parties, their drugs, and their alcohol.

Except it wasn't all left behind yet, considering that tonight was final graduation party for the class of 2008. As always, it was held at Blair's house, but the decorators had totally transformed it so that it looked like something else entirely. It looked like Paris (the city, not the girl) had moved into Blair's penthouse. Walking around were waitresses dressed in little French maid dresses (but not the slutty kind), and French delicacies were set up all over the living room.

Blair had spent a lot of time thinking about what to wear. It had been about half a year since she had spoken to Nate. Sure, they still went to school together, and they still saw each other at the many functions that their families held, but they never spoke. The last time she had spoken to him was in January, when Nate had told her that it was probably better that they split up.

Blair was reluctant, but after a few days, she had learned to realize that she could survive without Nate, that she could breathe her own air, and live her own life. So that's what she did, in the five months they were apart. Of course it wasn't easy, but Blair tried. She made herself join a million clubs at school, busying herself every moment she could. But here she was, on graduation night, with one last chance to say something to Nate before they both went off to college.

She finally chose a royal blue dress that seemed different from the normal sophisticated style that she had. She slipped on her platform black Louboutins and started down the stairs. She stopped midway, just observing the way that her classmates behaved at parties. It was strange to think that she knew these people her whole life, and now all of a sudden they were going to go their separate ways all over the country and could possibly never see each other again. She took a deep breath and walked down the stairs, only to collide into Dan.

"Hey, Blair. Awesome party. I guess this is as close to France as I'm going to get." He said jokingly.

"Thanks, cabbage patch. Where's Serena?" She asked. Yes, Serena had slept with Nate two years ago. But Blair had forgiven her, especially in a situation like graduation, she needed Serena.

Dan shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I saw her a few minutes ago. I think she was on her way to the ladies room?"

Blair thanked him and walked towards the ladies' washroom, looking down at the floor so she wouldn't trip over any of the dancing people around her. She walked briskly, and smacked right into someone's chest.

"Ow!" Blair said, rubbing her sore nose. Then she inhaled. This wasn't just anyone, it was Nate Archibald. She recognized his cologne.

"Hi, Blair. It's been a while." Nate said, grinning at her. He was wearing a light blue dress shirt (untucked Archibald style), over a pair of navy blue slacks. "You look beautiful."

Blair felt shivers go down her spine. It had been so long, why did Nate still make her feel this way?

"Thanks, Nate." She replied, tucking her hair behind her ear. "You look great, too."

"I like your hair." He said, fingering the locks. She had gotten rid of the curls, and now it was just wavy, brown and layered.

"Thanks." No one else seemed to notice that her hair was slightly different, but then again, Nate noticed little things about her that no one else did. That was why she loved him.

"I know this is your graduation party and everything, but do you think we could go somewhere and talk? I mean, I'm leaving tomorrow to Maine, and after that I'm going to Dartmouth, and you're going to Yale. It's possible…that we never see each other again. And I feel like we still have so much to say to each other."

Blair grabbed a flute of champagne from a nearby waiter and took a sip. Nate wanted to talk to her. Fine. She could do that. She could talk to him, gain closure, and leave Manhattan single and happy.

She walked up the stairs, surprised to see that Nate was not behind her when she turned into her room. Where did he go?

Five minutes later, he came upstairs and shut the door behind them.

"What took you so long?" Blair asked, then coughed because the question sounded like she was trying to seduce him.

Nate frowned. "I just thought that you didn't want people to see us come up together, because it might be posted on Gossip Girl and she might say we got back together, and maybe that's not what you want."

Blair smiled. He was still considerate. "You know, I don't really care what Gossip Girl thinks anymore. I'm leaving the city, I'm leaving all this behind, I feel like I can do anything I want tonight."

Nate chuckled. "So once you go to Yale, you don't plan to come back?"

Blair shook her head. "Once I go to Yale, everything is going to be great…after I graduate from Yale, I'm going to get a fabulous job in another city, and leave all this drama behind."

"I'll have to visit you at Yale, then." He said.

"Yeah." She whispered. For the first time the entire night, she realized that she would be separated from Nate forever. She knew that they could always call each other or whatever, but it would never be the same again.

"I'll miss you." He said. He took her hand, and stroked it gently with his thumb. He still loved her.

After those three words were said, everything fell into place. Blair looked up at him, and his face beamed down at hers. He looked happy, and determined. She brushed his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. Soon their clothing fell away, and as cliché as it was, they were having sex on grad night.

But it was perfect, entirely blissful compared to the other time they had done it. Nate had slept with Serena on a whim, because she said she wanted him, and he thought he wanted her too. Blair had slept with Chuck for revenge, because she was hurt, and betrayed. But now here they were, the two of them, together again, and it wasn't planned, unlike everything else in Blair Waldorf's life.


	10. First Shock

**I know I took a short break to write my other story...but here's the latest chapter! Don't forget to review :)**

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24 years old._

Blair was spritzing herself with her perfume when she heard someone knock on her door. She got up slowly and walked over to the door, checking her reflection in the mirror. She still looked the same as when she was seventeen, but she had changed. Something major had happened in her life. She straightened her white pencil skirt and opened the door.

In front of her was the man she had not seen in at least 2 years, an angry frown on his face.

"Hi." Blair said.

"YOU'RE ENGAGED?!" Nate asked angrily. He grabbed her hand and saw the ring on her finger.

She pulled back shyly and looked down. "Yes, I am." How could he have an outburst like this? They broke up ages ago. They were nothing but a couple of kids that dated in high school. Except both of them knew that it was Not. That. Simple.

But she didn't forget her manners, so she opened the door wider and let Nate in.

She sat down on the bed, and he sat down beside her, their fingers only millimeters apart.

"So, who is he?" He asked quietly.

"His name is Christopher. Well, actually he's Christopher Warren the third. You know, of the Warren Construction Company?" She replied.

Nate nodded silently. Of course he knew the Warrens. They built half the buildings in New York City. But why the hell was Blair Waldorf engaged to a guy like Chris Warren? "So, you guys been together for a long time?" He asked stupidly. Well, they were obviously together for quite some time, if they were _engaged._

Blair fidgeted on the bed. "We actually met last year, and we dated for around nine months, and then he proposed just 2 days ago. It's too bad you can't meet him, he went to Texas on a business trip."

Nate nodded again, letting out a small sigh of relief. He didn't particularly want to meet Blair's fiancé, especially when he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep his fist away from Chris' face.

Blair got up, and walked back to her dresser, where she continued applying her make up self conscientiously while Nate watched her through the mirror. "How did you find out about the engagement, anyway?" She asked Nate while applying mascara to her eyelashes.

Nate cleared his throat. "From Gossip Girl. I normally don't read that stuff, but Chuck told me to go, and I saw what I would have never expected in a million years." He said, looking Blair straight in the eye. Well, at Blair's reflection.

Blair lowered the mascara wand. "What do you mean?" She put the wand back into the tube and took out a tube of lip gloss from her drawer.

She saw Nate unbutton the top button of his white oxford shirt. "It's just that…I never thought I would see you married off with someone else." He mumbled.

Blair puckered her lips together to smoothen out the lip gloss. "You didn't want me."

Nate frowned. "Are you kidding me? I wanted you. I still want you. It was just hard…being apart at different schools. We were taking a break. But Blair, we're destined to be together. You know that."

Blair laughed. "Destiny? What, are we still 15 years old? I can't just wait around for you, Nate! I graduated from Yale, I returned to the city although I said I wouldn't, and I meet this fantastic guy who loves me. Why can't you be happy for me?" She said, twisting the ruby ring on her finger anxiously. She shook her head and turned back to her dresser.

"Is this what you want?" He asked. "To be married to him?"

Blair looked down at the dresser so she wouldn't have to look at Nate. "Yeah, it is."

He walked up to her dresser and she turned around. "I think you should probably go, I have to get going to a luncheon," she said.

He stayed put. "I love you." He whispered. He leaned down to kiss her. Yes, it had been a long time ago since they did this…but feelings don't go away that easily.

* * *

Nate was sitting at the back corner of the café, fidgeting with his phone, deciding whether or not to call Blair, again. But before he could decide, she strolled into the café.

"What do you want, Nate? My fiancé is back in town."

Nate cringed at those words. "But the other night we-"

Blair sat down next to Nate and took a sip of his coffee, just as demanding as ever. "Yes, I know we slept together the other night. It was wrong, it was shameful, and I'm never doing it again. I let myself give in once, but that's over. I'm stronger now. I don't need you. I don't need this. I don't need us." She was lucky she still had her black oversized sunglasses on.

"But then why would you need to let yourself give in? If you don't need me, you wouldn't have needed to give in. You wouldn't need to give in if your life was good enough for you. But clearly, it isn't. I'm hoping I am." He lifted her chin and looked her in the eye. Her usual calm and strong façade was given away by the panic and indecisiveness he saw in her big doe eyes.

"Blair." He started. "I know I'm good enough for you. Just please, let me show you that."


	11. First Tears

A/N: Sorry I haven't written in SIX MONTHS! (approx.) It's just that school was extremely busy, but now it's over, so I'm back. I hope you guys are still reading this ! :) Please review.

_25 years old._

Nate stood in the elevator, whistling the elevator music while contemplating everything Blair had said to him. He didn't believe the fact that she didn't need him.

The elevator dinged and he stepped out into the penthouse. Even after 6 years the apartment was still adorned with her signature scent.

"Hey!" She said, running into his arms. He breathed in the scent of her hair. It made him smile.

"Serena, hey. Or should I say the ex-Ms. Humphrey?" He gave her a smirk.

Serena laughed her 5-year old laugh. "Well, you know me. Can't stay with someone for a very long time." She smoothed out her white sun dress. "So what are you doing here?"

Nate looked down at his hands and thanked Serena's maid who brought him a glass of lemonade. "I need some advice, Serena. I can't sleep."

"Insomnia? Well, I don't know. Maybe drink less coffee?" Serena shrugged.

Nate let out a big sigh. Sometimes she could be so blonde. "No it's –"

"How do I look?"

Nate looked up and he felt his breath catch in his throat. In front of him was Blair. As a bride. _His_ bride.

Blair saw Nate and gave him a small smile. "Hey, Nate. So do I look hot or what?" She gave him a wink.

Nate looked at her, the pain obvious in his eyes. Her beauty hurt his eyes. Because she was looking this beautiful for someone else. Her brown hair was laid out in long waves, and she was wearing a strapless Vera Wang dress with a simple pearl border. Very classic. Very Blair.

Blair stared at him, blinking profusely, waiting for an answer. Nate opened his mouth but he couldn't speak. He jabbed his thumb in the direction of the door and gave a quick wave. Nate leaned back in the elevator and let the tears fall silently.



Blair Waldorf had broken Nate Archibald's heart.

* * *

Serena pined the veil onto Blair's hair. "Well, Nate looked upset." She said, stating the obvious.

Blair looked at her reflection and tried to ignore the hole that she felt in her heart. "I'm sure he's just…surprised."

Serena brushed Blair's hair. "Well, of course he's surprised. You're marrying someone other than him. I bet he never imagined that."

Blair gave herself a hard glare in the mirror, as if she was scolding herself for hurting Nate. "Well, he's just going to have to accept it. We were together six years ago."

"Well, some feelings don't disappear, Blair. I know you love Chris –"

"Do I?" Blair cut in.

Serena's eyes widened in shock. "Well, I hope you love Chris. Because the entire island of Manhattan knows that he loves you. Don't break his heart too. You need to choose."

Blair blinked back tears. "I know…but how do I choose between two guys that love me when I don't necessarily love either of them back?"


End file.
